Home and Dry
by ToniaB
Summary: An off-world mission takes a dramatic turn for a certain Czech scientist. This is my first whump-attempt. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I don't own them

**Spoilers: **General

**A/N: **This story is really a part of my 25 stories iPod collection. My friend challenged me to whump Zelenka, and in her honour I made this story long. The title comes from the song "Home and Dry" performed by the Pet Shop Boys.

* * *

**Part 1**

The lights were still on in one room in Atlantis, and that room was Rodney McKay's lab. Rodney pushed the lid of his laptop down, put his hands behind his head and stretched his back out. It was nearing morning and he was sitting in his lab. Again. Rodney had always been a bit of a workaholic. No, not just a bit. He lived for his work. It was difficult for him to put his research away when he was on the brink of a discovery. And now he was closer than ever. Although new discoveries never were far away here on Atlantis and in the Pegasus galaxy, he still felt like a child at Christmas every time he made a breakthrough. What he had been working on now was a new power source, one that could replace the ZPM they relied so much upon. Zelenka had been working alongside him for some of the time, but he had gone to bed a couple of hours ago.

Rodney yawned and decided it was time to call it a nigh and head back to his quarters_._ As he rose from his chair he could see the first sun beams rise over the horizon. It looked to be a beautiful day. Rodney stretched his sore muscles, and it was first when he walked past the locker rooms that he remembered that he was supposed to go off-world with the rest of his team that morning. He really didn't want to go on an off-world mission now. He wanted to stay on Atlantis, in the comfort of his own bed. Rodney had been on enough off-world missions over the past years to know that they very rarely gave him the opportunity to rest. On the contrary, they most often resulted in him saving the rest from imminent death.

In stead of turning right at the corner, Rodney decided to turn left and make a stop at the infirmary. He knew that Carson was there, pulling the nightshift. When he entered the room,

Rodney found Carson fast asleep at his desk. He moved nearer and put his hand on the Scot's shoulder.

Carson suddenly jumped up, startled and dazed. "I was just resting me eyes!" he exclaimed.

Rodney grinned. "Yeah, sure you were."

Carson looked at him. "Rodney, what do you want?"

Rodney's grin quickly disappeared as he tried to look feebler than he really was.

"I don't feel too good."

Carson rolled his eyes. "Is it another splinter?"

"No! It's _not_ a splinter!" Rodney exclaimed, a bit too quick.

Carson looked at him with a suspicious glare. "Then what is it?"

"It's my head. It doesn't feel good."

Carson bit back a sarcastic comment. It was too easy, he thought. Instead he gestured towards the examination bench.

"Have a seat."

Rodney sat down. As the doctor examined him, he tried to look as weak as he could. Some way or another he had to get out of going on this mission. Zelenka could go instead, he thought. At least _he_ had had a couple of hours of sleep by now. Rodney looked up at Carson with a miserable look on his face.

***

Ten minutes later, after having done his best to convince Carson to let him stay on Atlantis, Rodney was headed for John Sheppard's quarters. He figured he would have better luck trying to persuade the Lieutenant Colonel. As he came to a halt, Rodney knocked loudly at the door.

"John!"

There was no answer.

Rodney knocked again, harder this time. "John!" he yelled.

He could hear someone moving inside and finally the door opened. John Sheppard stood in the doorway. He looked tired. His eyes were red and his hair was flat. It was a sight Rodney had never seen before.

John stared at the Canadian. "What?!"

"I don't think I can go with you on the mission today," Rodney said. "I don't feel so…"

John stared wildly at him. "You woke me up just to say that?!"

"Yes, I…" Rodney started to say, but stopped when he saw the look in John's eyes. Then he straightened his back. "I just wanted to say that I think Zelenka should go instead of me. He… needs the experience."

"Fine!" John exclaimed. "Just get the hell out of here and let me sleep!"

As Rodney made his way back to his quarters, a smile crossed his lips. He was going to get his much-needed hours of sleep and when he woke later that day he would be able to continue his research.

***

Radek was just finishing up and ready to leave his quarters when he heard a knock at the door. He opened it and saw John Sheppard standing there.

"Gear up," John said. "You're coming with us."

Radek stared at him. "Wh… What?"

"On the mission. Rodney chickened out, and we need a brilliant scientist. That would be you. Hurry. We have to go soon."

"But…" Radek began, but John was already on his way down the corridor.

"What mission?" he finished.

Radek sighed and walked back into his quarters. He sat down on his bed for a while, resting his head in his hands. When he realised that he had no other choice than to do as the Colonel said, he grabbed his jacket and headed towards the cafeteria. At least he had to get some decent food before he had to leave the city. As he made his way down the hallway, he mumbled some hushed words about a certain Canadian scientist, glad that no Czech-speaking were around to understand them. Radek had never liked to leave Atlantis, except for going back to Earth of course. Ever since his first off-world mission when he had been forced to come along to rescue Rodney and Lieutenant Cadman who had been trapped inside a Wraith dart, he had been uncomfortable off-world. Radek felt most at home in his own lab and that's where he preferred to stay.

***

In the locker room 30 minutes later John looked up as Radek entered. Teyla and Ronon were already there, ready and eager to leave. As he geared up, Radek turned to look at John.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked.

"To M3P-432."

M3P-432 was one of the planets not too far away from where Atlantis currently was located. John had been there a couple of times with his team, trading with the locals. They were friendly people, very interested in maintaining their alliances with the neighbouring worlds. He liked them. They always welcomed him and whoever he brought along with open arms, and best of all was that they had no boring ceremonies he had to endure. Their leader, Logaian, was a fair and intelligent man. It was obvious that his people looked up to him and trusted him.

John's thoughts were interrupted by the nervous voice of the Czech scientist.

"And what are we going to do there?" Radek asked.

"We have to see what happened to the people living there, " John answered.

Radek looked puzzled at him. "What do you mean?"

"We received a distress call from them yesterday," John said. "Major Lorne and some of the Marines went over to the planet to check it out. It turns out that 6 of the locals have gone missing. No one knows where they are and there's no trace of them. They simply don't know what has happened to them."

"Could it be the Wraith?" Radek suggested. "They take people all the time."

Ronon shook his head. "No."

Teyla nodded. "Ronon is right. The Wraith does not to come sneaking in the middle of the night. They have no need to hide. Besides they like to see the fear in their victims' faces. This has to be something else."

Radek cleared his throat. This mission started to sound a lot more dangerous than he liked.

"And you need me because…?"

John patted him on the back. "I'm gonna be honest with you, Doc. We don't know what we're facing out there. We might need muscles, and that's why we have Ronon. We might need someone with persuasive powers, and that's why we have Teyla. We also might need intellect, and that's where you come in," he said as he pushed a P90 into Radek's arms.

John felt a bit sorry for the scientist when he saw the terrified look on his face.

"I need _this_?!" he exclaimed.

"Of course," John said. "But we have your back. Don't worry."

With that John passed him on his way to the Jumper Bay.

***

Radek stayed behind in the locker room, standing completely still as he took it all in.

Teyla smiled mildly at him. "Do not worry, Radek. I am sure everything will be all right," she said.

"Yes…" Radek sighed and slowly started to walk.

He and Teyla joined the other two in the Jumper Bay.

As they were taking their places inside the Puddle Jumper, Radek sighed and pushed his glasses further up his nose. If he survived this he was going to kill Rodney.

_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

They left the Puddle Jumper by the Stargate just outside the village, cloaked it and made their way towards the settlement on foot. Radek looked nervously around. He clenched the P90 to his chest, and fell into pace with John who was walking in front of him. It didn't take long before they arrived in the village where they were met by Logaian himself. He greeted all four of them in turn.

"Thank you for coming," he said. "We are grateful for your help."

"I'm not sure what we can do yet," John answered and shook Logaian's hand.

"What has happened has frightened many of our people," said the grey-haired man. "I am sure whatever help you offer will help soothe them."

John looked at him with a solemn look on his face. "Major Lorne told me what happened, but it would really help if we heard the story from you."

Logaian nodded and turned towards one of the bigger houses in the middle of the village.

"Come with me," he said.

They followed him inside and took their places around the big table in the middle of the hall. This house must be functioning as the village'shall of assemblies, Radek thought. The round shape of the table made him think of the legends of King Arthur, and the draperies on the walls did nothing to diminish the medieval vibes this place gave him. A woman came in through one of the side doors. She was carrying a tray with five cups on it, and soon she handed them out to Loagaian and his four guests. Radek smelled the contents of his cup. He could definitely distinguish the scent of spices. He stuck out his tongue to taste it, but quickly retrieved it when he realised that Logaian might find this rude. Instead he looked up, ready to concentrate on the dangers that he was sure lay ahead of him.

John started the conversation. "We heard from Major Lorne and his team that six of your people have gone missing," he said. "Any idea what might have happened to them?"

"Yes, actually I think I might have. It was yesterday morning that we noticed that they were gone. All six are prominent people in our society, and among the missing are several of our best scientists."

Radek lifted an eyebrow. This had gotten his interest. "Your best scientists?" he said in a low voice. "What would they want with them?"

Logaian sighed. "All of them were working on a new project," he said. "They had been trying to make some sort of defence mechanism."

"What sort of defence mechanism?" Ronon said in a husky voice.

"A protection from the Wraith," Logaian answered him. "Just like all the worlds around us, we have been victims of the Wraith for many generations, but we cannot afford to let it happen anymore. Too many lives are lost and our people are living in terror. So the Council decided that we had to come up with a solution to stop the Wraith cullings."

Radek looked over at Teyla. On her face he could read sympathy for the people living here. He knew that she had spent her whole life in terror, wondering when the Wraith might come next. He could not imagine having to live with such a fear hanging over him, having to wake up every morning and think that this might be your or one of you loved one's last day. Suddenly he felt very grateful for having grown up on Earth. It was no wonder why the people in the Pegasus galaxy were terrified, and he could also understand their anger. As he looked over at Ronon he could see the hatred in the big man's eyes at the mention of the Wraith. Radek knew that his whole family had been killed, and that Ronon for a long time thought that he was the sole survivor of Sateda.

The sound of John's voice yanked Radek out of his thoughts. "So who do you think took these scientists?" he asked.

Logaian shook his head. "I do not know. And no one in the village seems to know either. I cannot imagine that anyone here would inflict harm on anyone else, certainly not someone who is a part of their own community."

"Okay…" John said. "But has someone heard or seen anything out of the ordinary?"

Logaian looked gravely at him. "No one either heard or saw them coming. I am sure that this is the work of someone coming from the outside. They must have snuck into the village in the middle of the night, and they obviously must have known where they were going as well."

"What makes you say that?" Teyla asked.

"They knew exactly where to go. And it appears that nothing else has gone missing. All that disappeared were the scientists."

"Have there been any strangers here lately?" John asked with a contemplating look on his face.

Logaian nodded. "Yes, in fact a couple of nights ago a group of three rather rugged-looked men came to the village. They said they were traders and they spent the night at the inn. Maybe Boraia can you tell you more about them. She is the one who owns the inn, and the one who lent them their rooms."

"That sounds good," John said. "Let's talk to her right away. The faster we learn more about this situation, the faster we can find your men."

Radek understood that the meeting was coming to a close. He quickly finished his drink. It tasted sweet and he could recognise the taste of honey and spices. It reminded him of Medovina, a Czech-brewed mead, and it made him think of home. As the others got up from the table and walked outside, he followed them. Logaian showed them the way to the inn.

"Here we are," he said as they came to a halt outside the front door. "Boraia is inside. She will take good care of you."

"Thank you," John said. Then he made Logaian aware of Radek. "Radek here is also a scientist. Maybe he could be shown what your scientists were working on. That could give us a clue as to what happened."

"Of course," Logaian answered. "I will see to it that it is arranged."

With that he left the group.

Radek looked nervously at John. "I don't really know what I can do," he said, as honest as ever.

John sent him a comforting smile. "Just check it out, Doc. Ronon will go with you. See if you can understand this mechanism and maybe we can get some clues as to why these people were kidnapped."

Ten minutes later Radek and Ronon were shown the lab. Radek could feel his fascination rising as he walked around, looking at the research in front of him. These scientists had definitely been on to something. The defence mechanism was clearly in progress and not very advanced, but for a pre-industrial society their research had come a long way, Radek thought to himself. Still nothing he found here could give him a clue as to why the scientists had disappeared. Even if the Wraith had heard news of what they were working on, they would not simply kidnap the people responsible for it. That he was sure of.

He looked up at Ronon. "We better get back to them," he said. "There's nothing to be found here."

Teyla and John were talking to some of the villagers when Ronon and Radek walked over to them.

John looked at Radek. "Did you find anything?"

Radek shook his head. "No, not really. You?"

John gestured towards the inn. "She told us that there were three of them, just as Logaian said. Apparently they left after the first night, but no one actually saw them go through the Stargate. I've asked some of the locals if there are any hiding places around here and many of them say that there are some cabins in the woods. Their ancestors used them as hunting lodges. They haven't been used in a long time, though. If we're lucky we might find them in one of those cabins," John said and pointed towards the woods. "We just have to go in there."

Radek's eyes widened as he looked in the direction John was pointing. The trees looked to be forming a barrier around the village. It looked dark and unfriendly on the other side of it.

"Of course," he mumbled to himself. "We just have to go in there."

He could see that John was trying to a hide a grin as they made their way towards the forest in front of them.

"Check your radioes," the Colonel said. "We'll split up, and maybe we'll have better luck finding them that way. Ronon, you stay with Radek. Teyla, come with me."

With that John and Teyla started walking. Ronon did the same, but he took the opposite direction. Radek almost had to run to keep up with him. When he had almost caught up, Ronan suddenly stopped. The Czech saw it too late and bumped into him.

"Oh, sorry," Radek whispered.

Ronon put a finger over his lips and pointed towards the ground. Radek understood that he probably had found something. Maybe it was some tracks that could help them find the missing people, he thought. Slowly, the Satedan started walking again, his eyes directed towards the ground. Radek followed him, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked around. The trees seemed to stand closer together here and they grew bigger and bigger the farther into the forest they came. Suddenly Radek thought he saw something in the corner of his eye. A shadow of some kind. Quickly he turned his head to see if he could get a clear look at whatever it was, but he couldn't see anything. Radek turned around to alert Ronon, but in front of him were only trees. He could not see the man anywhere.

"Ronon?" Radek whispered, feeling the panic starting to take hold of him.

He got no answer, but decided not to shout as he didn't want to draw any unwanted attention. Instead he started running in the direction he thought the Satedan might have gone.

Suddenly he felt the ground disappear beneath his feet and he was falling. It all happened so fast that he didn't have time to think. He could feel a throbbing pain spread through his body and then it all turned black.

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Ronon came to a halt as the trail he had followed joined a small path which winded through the big trees.

"They must have gone through here," he whispered and turned to look at Zelenka.

But Zelenka wasn't there. He waited a few seconds, giving the little man the opportunity to catch up with him, but all Ronon could see were the trees in front of him. He listened intently to try and get an indication of where the scientist could have gone, but all he could hear was the rattling of the wind.

"Damn," he sighed and started to make his way back.

Ronon had never liked being stuck with scientists. They always seemed to be distracted by things, such as flowers or insects. Well, at least this one was not as bad as McKay. He would have been complaining the whole time. Zelenka had probably just found a type of bird he hadn't seen before, Ronon thought. He knew of the fascination the man had with feathered creatures. He kept going for a while, but when there still was no sign of the man he decided to alert the others.

He sighed as he tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard?"

Sheppard's voice soon answered him. "Yes. Have you found something?"

"No." Ronon took a little pause before he continued. "But I kinda lost Zelenka."

There was alarm in Sheppard's voice now. "You _lost_ Zelenka?! How the hell did you manage to do that?"

"I turned my back on him and suddenly he was gone."

Ronon could hear the colonel sigh. "Go back to the village. He's probably gone back..."

Ronon stopped dead in his tracks as Sheppard suddenly stopped speaking, unsure if he should go back to the village as the colonel had told him or go after the other two.

"Sheppard?" he said into the radio. "Need help?"

The answer came quick. "We're okay. Just find Zelenka."

***

John shoved the thoughts of Radek to the back of his mind. The outlines of a small building had suddenly appeared behind some of the trees, and he was pretty sure he had seen movement there as well. His senses were on full alert as he made his way through the dark forest. He could feel Teyla following him. Slowly they crawled over the moss-covered ground, hiding behind the trees. Both of them cautious not to step on twigs or anything else that could draw attention to them. The woman never seized to impress him with her skills out in the field. She would have made a damn fine general, he thought to himself. A hot one too.

As they came closer, John understood that the building had to be one of the hunting lodges the locals had talked about. When they didn't dare move any further in on it, they stopped, leaning back to a couple of trees. Teyla and John looked at each other for a second, and then John glanced around the tree trunk, his P90 at the ready. He could see several men there, nine, to be exact. John instantly recognised the uniforms of three of the men – they were Genii. It was obvious that the other six were their captives. The Genii were rounding up their prisoners and with their weapons pointed at them, they brought them around the corner of the lodge and out of John's sight.

John turned to Teyla and in a whisper he told her what he had seen. "They're here. All of them."

The two of them soon came up with a plan. John snuck up to the corner of the lodge, careful not to make a sound or to be seen. He peeped around it, his heart beating in his chest. Two of the Genii were standing with their backs towards the lodge, leaning in on it, while the last one was standing over one of the scientists. Without making a sound, John retreated, going the other way around the lodge. He stopped and picked up a branch that was lying on the ground and threw it into the shrubbery which was surrounding the lodge, making sure that it made as much noise as possible. The Genii reacted at once. Two of them quickly made their way to the source of the noise and the last one stayed with the prisoners. Confident that Teyla was in control of the man watching the scientists, John quickly walked up to the two other Genii.

"Drop your weapons!" he commanded.

Both of them hurriedly spun around, but John was too quick for them. In a swift movement he managed to take the weapon from one of the men while keeping his P90 pointed at the other one. John now had two weapons in his hands, each directed at a Genii.

"I said drop your weapons!" he repeated.

Understanding that resistance would be futile, the last armed Genii let his weapon fall to the ground. John nodded towards the place where Teyla was standing with the last captor and six rather confused-looking scientsts.

"Over there," he said.

Soon John and Teyla had tied up the three Genii who now were sitting on the ground, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Thank you," one of the scientists said, looking at his two rescuers.

Teyla gazed concerned at the six elderly men standing in front of her. "Are you okay?" she asked mildly.

They all nodded, but John could see that they were affected by the trials they had been through.

He pulled one of the Genii up on his feet; the thoughts of where Radek could have gone to had come back to him.

"Come on," he said. "We're going back to the village."

As they made their way back through the forest again, John radioed Ronon and made sure that he told the villagers that the scientists were safe and that they were coming back with the Genii-prisoners as well. When they arrived, both the scientists and the Genii were taken care of by the locals.

John went to find Ronon, and he soon could see him by the edge of the village, looking into the dark forest.

"Any sign of Radek?" he asked.

Ronon shook his head. "No one's seen him."

"Damn…" John bit his lip. "We better radio Atlantis."

***

Radek slowly tried to open his eyes. Not that it helped much when he finally managed to do so. It was pitch black all around him. His head was aching and he was dizzy and confused. He could not remember where he was or what had happened to him, but he instinctively knew that something was wrong and that he needed help.

It took him a long time to clear his head long enough to remember that he ought to radio Atlantis. He tried to raise an arm to tap his earpiece, but the pain shooting through his body as a result of that one movement was unbearable. Radek wanted to scream, but all that came out was a muffled groan. He waited, hoping that the pain would end soon.

He probably passed out again. He did not know how much time had passed when he opened his eyes. There still was no light to be seen around him. He decided to try to reach his radio one more time, but to use his other arm this time. He lifted it slowly, not making any sudden movements which could cause the sort of pain he had felt earlier. Finally, his arm was up to his ear, but as he was about to tap his earpiece, he couldn't feel it. The radio wasn't there. All he could feel was something sticky on his ear. As he moved his hand he could feel the same sticky stuff on his forehead and in his hair as well. After a few moments he realised that it probably was blood. His own blood.

Radek knew that he had to find his radio. He had to contact someone and tell them where he was. Not that _he _had any idea where, but at least he could tell them that he was in trouble. He shifted his position so he could search the ground around him for his radio. This time he screamed. The pain was no longer only in his arm and in his head. He could feel it in his right leg and in his upper body as well. He drew a couple of short breaths, trying in vain to push the pain aside. He made himself search for his radio with his good arm, but he couldn't find anything. All he could feel was grass and dirt and his hand soon met what felt like a wall consisting of dirt and a couple of plants. As he let his hand slide over the wall, he could feel water running down it. Shivering from the contact with the cold water, he went back to search the ground for his radio.

Then he heard something moving not too far away. Radek's blood froze to ice in his veins as he realised that it was coming closer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Rodney was standing in the control room, trying to talk Elizabeth Weir into agreeing to test out his idea for a new power source for Atlantis. Even though he hadn't figured out all the details yet, he was sure that this power source could replace the ZPM they now used. Just as Rodney was about to start his closing argument, Chuck, the technician looked up at the expedition leader.

"Doctor Weir, Colonel Sheppard has a message from M3P-432," he said.

Curiously Rodney turned to look at the Canadian technician.

"Let's hear it," Elizabeth said.

Soon they could hear John Sheppard's voice in the control room. "We have a problem," he stated.

Rodney fought back the urge to snap at him and tell him to get to the point. Instead he let Elizabeth do the talking. "What is it, John?" she asked.

"Well, there is good news and there is bad news. Which one do you want first?"

Rodney couldn't take it anymore. "Just tell us! Besides, everybody knows that you always should tell the bad news first. That way you have something to look forward to."

The physicist silenced as he saw the look Elizabeth sent him. "It's true," he mumbled to himself.

There was a little hint of annoyance in John's voice now. "Well, _Rodney_," he said. "The bad news is that Zelenka's missing."

Rodney's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "Missing?! What do you mean _missing_?"

"Rodney!" Noticing the sharpness in Elizabeth's voice, Rodney realised that he had pushed it too far.

Apparently John was not affected by what was going on in the control room. He answered Rodney's question. "I mean just what I said. Zelenka's missing. One moment he was in the forest with Ronon, and the next he was gone."

Elizabeth sounded concerned. "I'll send over a team straight away," she said. "Is there anything else you need? Any equipment?"

The answer came quick. "No. We brought a Jumper. If it should come to a rescue mission, we have everything we need here."

Rodney could see Elizabeth turn around to give her orders, but then she changed her mind and stopped. "What's the good news?" she asked.

"We found the scientists. They're safe and back in the village. Three rogue Genii had kidnapped them, wanting to take a mechanism of some sort."

Rodney furrowed his brow, wondering what sort of mechanism John was talking about. He chose to say nothing, letting Elizabeth speak instead.

"That _is_ good news," she said before she walked out of the room.

***

Fifteen minutes later John was by the Puddle Jumper together with Teyla and Ronon. They looked through the Jumper for equipment they might need in the search for Radek, while waiting for a team to arrive from Atlantis. When John heard the Stargate activate, he stepped out, looking at the people Elizabeth had sent to help. The first person to come through was Major Lorne. He led a group consisting of Rodney McKay, Carson Beckett and several marines.

John looked at Rodney. "So you decided to come after all?" he said. "I thought you weren't feeling well?" He grinned when he saw the insulted look on the physicists face.

"You might need my brilliant mind," was all Rodney answered.

John shook his head. By now he should be used to the Canadian's arrogance, but somehow it always surprised him.

"Well," John said, looking at the group in front of him. "You all know why you're here. Doctor Zelenka is missing and we need to find him."

The next minutes John spent telling the newly arrived team what had happened. He gave out his final orders and they all headed for the forest.

***

Radek leaned his back to the wall behind him. He could feel the cold water running down his neck and back, but he didn't care. All he thought about was the sound of whatever was approaching. In his mind he imagined the worst creatures alive coming to attack him. Then he felt something crawl up his left leg.

He sat completely still, both unable and unwilling to move in case it would anger the thing crawling on him. Soon he could feel something on his right leg as well. He wanted to jump up and get the things off his legs, but he couldn't. He had already realised that his right leg was seriously injured, and he knew that he under no circumstance could stand or walk on it. Quickly he brushed his left arm over his legs, brushing away what felt like slimy bugs. Big slimy bugs. Then he suddenly heard the sound of something clicking together, and it made him shiver.

It didn't take long before he felt the thing moving up his left leg again. He closed his eyes for a second, wanting to scream out loud.

"No," he whispered instead. "Please leave me alone."

But the bugs didn't listen to him. He could soon count three of them crawling over his legs. He tried to move and find another position, hoping that it would help scare them away, but he was unsuccessful. The bugs were still clinging on to him. For just about a second he was glad that the darkness prevented him from seeing them.

Then Radek couldn't take anymore. He screamed as loud as he could.

"Help! I'm here! Somebody help me!"

He listened for a few seconds, but couldn't hear anything. He realised that he really was on his own. No one was around to help and he had no way to contact Atlantis.

***

John rolled his eyes as he listened to Rodney berate Ronon for Radek's disappearance.

"How could you lose Zelenka?!" the Canadian physicist exclaimed. "I mean he's a tiny man, but still…"

John could see the resentment in the look Ronon shot the Canadian. "I didn't lose him," was all he said.

"Oh no?!" Rodney cried out. "Then where is he?!"

Ronon only replied with a grunt.

John shook his head. "Come on, boys," he said. "Direct your energy towards something else. Let's find Radek." He could see that Rodney had opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it when John sent him a stern look.

They walked further into the forest, calling out Radek's name.

A few moments later John could see Teyla stop. She looked like she had heard something, and John walked up to her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I thought I heard something," she said. "Coming from over there."

Hurriedly they started walking in the direction Teyla had pointed out. John could see Ronon search the ground for tracks, and soon he seemed to have found something.

"This way," the Satedan said. "He left the trail."

No questions asked, they followed Ronon. A few seconds later John could hear the faint sound of a voice calling out. He figured that it must have been the sound Teyla had heard earlier. John could see that Ronon had started to run, and he decided to do the same. He almost ran into Ronon as he suddenly stopped.

"The tracks end here," the Satedan said.

John looked around. "Radek?"

"Yes," a voice answered him, but John couldn't see anyone.

He looked around. "Where are you?"

The voice came back. "I don't know. I can't see anything."

John realised that the voice had to come from underneath them. He sat down on the ground, inspecting it thoroughly. Then he suddenly saw the narrow opening in front of him. He moved closer in on it, gesturing towards the group standing behind him. "I need a flashlight," he said. One of the Marines stepped forward, and John recognised her as Lieutenant Anne Daryl. He nodded towards the opening in front of them.

"Direct the light towards the opening," he said.

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Daryl said as she turned on the flashlight and aimed it at the opening.

John regretted his order the second he heard Radek's howls of pain.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Radek screamed out as he felt the bugs bite him. The pain emanated from his legs and soon spread out to the rest of his body. In the glimmer of light coming from above he could see the creatures, which by now were crawling all over his legs. He had lost his glasses in the fall, but he didn't need them to see that these bugs were scary. They looked like big centipedes, but not like the ones he knew from Earth. These centipedes had the hind parts of earwigs, and he realised that it must have been their cerci which made the clicking sounds he'd heard earlier. The light must have scared the bugs, because after having bitten him, they were now quickly making their way towards the darkness in front of him. He saw how big they were now. The smallest one could not have been less than 10 centimetres long.

The light coming from above quickly disappeared after his scream, and Radek suddenly felt terrified that the bugs might come back. "Please turn on the light," he pleaded, and it didn't take long before his wish was fulfilled.

"Are you all right, Radek?" John's voice came from above.

Radek had to focus before he could answer. "Yes... Yes, I think so." He called out to make sure that they could hear him. He was feeling all but okay, and he was shivering in his wet clothes. His whole body was hurting. He wanted to go to Atlantis and stay in his quarters forever. Well, maybe he would visit his lab occasionally. After all, he did like his work.

"You are?" John sounded puzzled. "What made you scream like that?"

Radek sighed. "They're gone now. Just, please, keep the light on."

"They? What do you mean 'they'?" He heard the anxiety in John's voice.

"The bugs," he answered, as if the lieutenant colonel should know what he was talking about.

"You've got to help me here, Radek," John answered in an impatient tone. "What bugs are you talking about?"

Quickly Radek gave John the description of the bugs he had seen and how they had bitten him and scattered as the light came on.

"Don't worry." John said. "We'll keep the lights on for you and we'll get you out of there as soon as we can. Do you see a way out?"

Radek bit back a snappy reply. Of course he couldn't see a way out. If he did, he would certainly not be sitting in this dark, cold place being bitten by bugs. Or maybe he would. The pain was preventing him from moving too much. "No, I don't," was all he answered.

***

John waved for Carson to come join him while he searched the surrounding area with his eyes. "There's got to be another entrance," he said to himself before he looked up at Major Lorne. "Lorne, take two of your men and look for another way in," he said.

"Yes, sir," the major quickly replied, and pointed at two of the marines. "You two, come with me."

John watched them disappear between the trees before he turned to Carson. "He's been bitten by something," he said and gave the doctor the description of the bugs that Radek had just given him.

He could see that the Scot was just as uneasy as he was. "He needs medical attention," the doctor said. "We have no clue as to what those bugs are. For all we know they could be poisonous."

John nodded gravely. "I'll have Rodney find out more about them." He looked at the narrow opening in front of him. "Let's hope Lorne and his men find another way down there. No offence, Carson, but I don't think you're small enough to go down that hole," he said.

As he felt a hand on his back, John felt like his heart skipped a beat. Teyla smiled mildly at him; clearly she had noticed that she had startled him. "I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you," she said. "But I could not help but overhear what Dr. Beckett said and I want to go down there."

John raised his eyebrows. "You sure?"

"Yes," the Athosian said. "He must be so scared, being trapped down there all alone. Someone should be with him."

John smiled and nodded. He could always count on Teyla wanting to help others. "Good," he said. "I'll make sure that we get you safely down there." He gestured towards some of the marines to come help.

As he turned around to go talk to Radek, he could hear Carson instructing Teyla in what she should do when she found him. He lay down by the opening next to Lieutenant Daryl, who was still holding the flashlight. As he looked down, he saw Radek several feet below him. "It must've been one hell of a fall, Doc," John called out.

Radek looked up at him. "Yes," was all he said.

It was a long way down to where the scientis was trapped, but John could still see the blood on his face. He looked to be in pain, John thought to himself. "Teyla's coming down to keep you company," he comforted the Czech. "She'll be down in a second."

In the corner of his eye he saw Carson lay down next to him. "Hello, son," the Scottish doctor said.

John had to smile. He'd always found the fact that Carson kept referring to men his own age as "son" funny.

"Hello…" Radek's voice sounded timid.

"I've heard about the bites," the doctor said. "But are you hurting anywhere else?"

"Everywhere," Radek answered, looking up at them.

That was not the answer John expected. He knew that the Czech scientist was not one to complain. As he looked over at Carson, John could see that the Scot was concerned as well. He furrowed his brow. "Can you be more specific, Radek?"

"My head," Radek answered. "And my legs, arm and chest."

"Anything broken?" John noticed how Carson now was in his doctor mode.

"I don't know," Radek said. "Maybe."

John heard Carson sigh as he looked down at Radek again. "Just hang in there, son. Help is coming," he called out.

John got to his feet and tapped his earpiece. "Lorne, any luck?"

"Unfortunately not, Colonel," the Major answered. "We've searched most of the surrounding are, but we can't seem to find anything that can lead us to Radek."

John sighed. "Understood."

He watched as one of the marines was tying a rope around Teyla, making sure that it was strong enough to hold her. Carson came over with his medical bag. "You should take this with you, love," he said.

Teyla and John both looked at it. "Yes," Teyla said."But I am no doctor. You need to guide me."

Carson patted her on the back. "I will, love," he promised.

***

Radek looked up as he heard sounds from above. It was difficult to focus as he didn't have his glasses, but he was sure that the person coming down was Teyla.

"Hello, Radek," she said as her feet touched the ground.

He looked up at her. Not sure what to say, he settled with a hello. He saw her untie the rope holding her with rapid movements. "I am safe," she said into her radio and the rope was soon pulled up.

As she settled next to him on the ground, he could see how she was checking out his injuries. Her eyes widened and he guessed that she had seen the blood and the tears in his pants. "Oh, Radek," she said mildly. "Dr. Beckett told me to disinfect the bug bites. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he said and shrugged his shoulders, regretting the movement at once as he could feel the pain in his arm grow stronger.

Teyla took a flashlight out of her pocket, directing the light at his legs. He felt her gently touch his right leg and he flinched, even though he tried his best to sit still. He saw that Teyla noticed it at once and tried to smile at her. "I am sorry," she said. "I did not mean to hurt you."

Radek actually smiled now. Teyla would never willingly hurt anyone. That much he knew. "It's okay," he said.

Again he could hear a sound from above, and as he looked up he saw a box slowly making its way down. Teyla got to her feet, untied it and set it down on the ground next to him. As she opened the box, Radek recognised it as Carson's medical kit. Radek could see how she studied the content of it before she tapped her earpiece again. "Dr. Beckett?" she said.

"Aye, love," he heard the Scottish doctor reply. "What does the bite marks look like?"

Teyla and Radek both looked down at his legs. "I do not know," Teyla answered. "I can not see them because he is wearing pants, but I can see that he is bleeding."

"Okay, you need to cut his pants and tell me what the bite marks look like," Carson told her. "There's a pair of scissors in my medical kit."

Radek sighed silently, uncomfortable with the situation. He watched as Teyla found what she was looking for. "I am sorry," she said and smiled mildly at him before she slowly started to cut his pants, careful not to come in touch with his flesh.

Radek leaned his head towards the wall behind him and closed his eyes. He was feeling really tired, and more than anything he wanted the pain to go away and to go to sleep.

A few moments later he again heard the sound of the rope coming down. As he opened his eyes, he could see a young woman. Her feet reached the ground and she tapped her earpiece. "I'm down, Colonel," she said. "You can send the gurney."

Radek looked at the girl who sat down next to him while she looked at Teyla who was just finishing cutting his pants. "Dr. Beckett said that we should check if he's broken anything," the girl said.

Both women looked at Radek. It took him a few moments to realise that they probably wanted to know if he thought he had broken something. "Maybe my arm," he finally said.

"We need some type of cloth," the girl said. "To stabilize his arm."

Radek felt embarrassed as Teyla removed her jacket. "Can you use this?" she asked.

"You don't have to…" Radek started, but neither of the women listened to him. The girl carefully took his arm and made a sling by tying it around his arm and neck. Radek bit his lip to not scream from the pain it was causing him.

As he met Teyla's eyes, he could see the compassion she had for him. "You will be out of here soon, Radek," she comforted him. "We just have to move you over to the gurney. Is that all right?"

He nodded silently, desperately wanting to get out of there. The two women carefully lifted him on to the gurney, and Radek felt as uncomfortable as he'd ever been. He could only imagine what Rodney would say when he heard that he'd been rescued by two women.

When he was lying flat on his back, he looked up at the narrow opening over him. Someone was lying close to the edge, directing a flashlight at them, but he couldn't see who it was. He closed his eyes and heard Teyla's mild voice. "I will disinfect the bites now, Radek," she said. "Doctor Beckett preferred it to be done as soon as possible."

"Okay," he answered, without opening his eyes. He could hear how Teyla was opening a bottle of some kind.

Soon he could feel something burning on his right foot. The sensation was unbearable and immediately everything turned black.

Radek did not feel or see anything as his gurney slowly was making its way up towards the light.

_TBC_


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

John stood as close to the edge of the narrow opening he possibly could without falling down, as four of his marines carefully pulled Radek's gurney up. He caught a short glimpse of the Czech's face before Carson blocked his view. While the Scot helped the marines to carefully place the gurney on flat land and at a safe distance from the opening, John, on the other hand, kept his position. He waited for Teyla and Lieutenant Daryl to send up Carson's medical kit. As soon as it reached the surface, he released it from the rope and went over to where Carson was leaning over the unconscious Radek.

John put the kit on the ground next to the physician and took a better look at the Czech. His face was pale and there was caked blood on the right side of his head. It was clear that the scientist had hit it in the fall. John shifted his eyes to Radek's legs. He clearly saw the cuts beneath the blood. Involuntarily he shuddered. They looked painful, and he wondered what kind of creatures had made these marks. He watched silently as Carson tried to make contact with the scientist.

"Radek," the Scot said. "Radek, come on."

But there was no reaction.

John watched as Carson opened Radek's eyelids and shone his penlight in each of the Czech's eyes. "Well, at least he's responsive," the Scot said. "Let's get him back to Atlantis as soon as possible. There's not much I can do for him here."

Quickly John stepped aside. "Ronon, help him." He pointed at the marines who had helped hoist Radek's gurney. "You four, as well."

"Yes, sir," the four marines said in unison, and soon they carried the gurney with the unconscious scientist between them.

Carson looked at John. "I'm bringing Rodney back too, if that's okay. I hope he can find out what the buggers that bit Radek really are."

John nodded. "Very well." He looked over at Teyla and Lieutenant Daryl who were just now being hoisted up to the surface. "I'll see if we can bring you a specimen."

"Thank you," the Scot said as he picked up his medical kit and lead the men out of the forest.

***

Rodney walked silently behind the marines carrying Radek's gurney. On some level he was convinced that everyone was blaming _him_ for the fact that Radek now was injured. It was after all, he was the one who was supposed to have gone on this off-world mission, not the annoying little Czech. No, he would not take the blame for this. It was not his fault.

As they entered the gate room in Atlantis, he looked over at Ronon. The Satedan hadn't said a word the whole trip. Of course, _that_ wasn't surprising. Ronon wasn't exactly a talkative fellow. Rodney furrowed a brow. Was that a look of concern he saw on the big man's face?

He pushed his thoughts to aside and went to his lab to start searching the Atlantis wildlife database for anything helpful.

***

John looked approvingly at Lieutenant Daryl as she handed him a box. "Is this it?" he asked.

The young woman nodded. "Yes, I think it must be."

Teyla, standing by the Lieutenant's side, nodded affirmatively. "It matches Radek's description of the bug."

Carefully John opened the lid and peered down into the box. "Wow," he said, a little impressed. "Radek wasn't kidding when he said these guys were huge."

The bug was easily ten centimetres long, but it was its scissor-like rear part that left the biggest impression. No wonder Radek had screamed. It must hurt like hell to be bitten by one of these things, John thought.

He looked up just in time to see Teyla hand him something else. "I found these down there," she said. "It is Radek's glasses."

John grinned as he saw that the glasses weren't harmed. There was not a single crack in them. One could say a lot about Eastern Europeans, but they sure made quality products, he thought to himself.

He put the glasses in his pocket. "Let's take this bug to the village and see if anyone there knows what it is," he said. With that the rest of the Lanteans made their way out of the forest.

When they arrived in the village, it was clear that some sort of ceremony was taking place. John stopped to look at it. He saw the scientists he and Teyla had saved earlier that day. They were sitting on what looked like honorary seats while many of the villagers were dancing around them. The music sounded almost like it was coming from a bagpipe and soon John found the source of it. The instrument did indeed look like a giant bagpipe. He was sure Carson would have found it interesting.

John suddenly saw Logaian making his way over to them, and walking alongside him was a woman in a long robe. "Thank you," the village leader said as he reached them. "We are forever grateful to you for finding our men."

"Of course," John answered. "We're happy to help."

Logaian smiled and gestured towards the robed woman. "This is Kadigan, our High Priestess."

John smiled a little at the woman, not quite sure how to address her. He was thankful when Teyla spoke in stead. "It is an honour to meet you," the Athosian said.

Kadigan smiled at both of them. "Logaian is right. We are grateful. Now tell us, what can we do for you? You all look so worried."

John opened the box with the enormous bug in it. "Can you tell us what sort of creature this is?" he asked. "One of our men has been injured, and he's probably been bitten by one of these."

Logaian and Kadigan both looked into the box. A flicker of a shadow passed over both their faces. "We call them _fermin-jaws_," Logain said. "They are feared among our people. They got their names because of the strength in their bites."

With a furrowed brow John looked at the bug. "So, they're dangerous?"

Kadigan looked at him with a grave face. "People who are strong usually survive."

"Usually?" John did not like this at all.

"Yes," the High Priestess said. "The weaker ones die within two days."

Quickly John shut the lid. "I'm sorry," he said. "We don't mean to be rude, but we really have to get back to Atlantis. I can't afford to let one of my men die."

Logaian patted him on the back. "Do not worry. We understand, and hope that he is a strong one."

***

Rodney sighed and leaned back in his chair. He'd been staring intently at his screen for quite some time without finding anything. It made him restless and irritated. Well, it wasn't completely true that he hadn't found anything. He just hadn't found anything of interest. He got up from his chair and looked out of the window. Normally the sight of the sea surrounding the city had some sort of calming effect on him. But not today.

Before he had time to change his mind, he walked out of the lab and headed towards the infirmary. He paused outside the door for a moment before he made his way in.

He saw Carson standing by a bed in the corner. Rodney slowly walked over to it and looked down at Radek. Carson clearly heard him approach and turned to face him. "Hello, Rodney," he said.

Rodney didn't answer. He just kept his gaze locked at Radek. The blood had been washed off his face and legs and his clothes had been replaced by scrubs. His right arm was in a cast and he was really pale. Rodney cleared his throat. He wanted to say something, but for some reason he didn't manage to do so.

Carson spoke in stead. "He's been through a hell of a beating," he said. "In addition to the three cuts on his legs, he has a concussion and his body temperature is a bit low after spending so much time in the hole. His right arm is – obviously – broken and he has a couple of broken ribs as well. I feared that his right leg was broken too, but it turns out that it's only sprained."

Rodney had to close his eyes for a bit as he felt a sting in his stomach. For a second, but only for a second, he felt guilty. Quickly he pushed his thoughts aside. No one could blame him. Radek could have said no. This really was his own fault for not refusing to go on the mission.

Rodney's thoughts were interrupted as John walked into the room and came over to Radek's bed. "How's he doing, Doc?" he asked.

Carson told John what he'd just told Rodney. "I just wish I knew more about those bites," the Scot added.

"Lieutenant Daryl and Teyla caught one of the bugs," John said. "I brought it to the biochemistry department and asked them to find out if it's poisonous."

"Good," Carson answered. "What about you, Rodney?"

Rodney looked bewildered at him. "What?"

"Have you had any luck in finding the bugs in the Ancient database?"

"No," was all he answered.

He watched as John retrieved a pair of glasses from his pocket and placed them on the small table by the bed. "The locals called them _fermin-jaws_," the Colonel said.

Rodney snorted. "What a stupid name!"

John scowled at him. "Well, _I_ didn't name them."

Rodney opened his mouth to say something. "And neither did the Ancients," the Colonel added, making him shut it again.

Carson sent the two of them a disapproving look. "What did the locals say about the bites?" he asked.

John scratched his head. "They said that the strong people survive," he said. "And that the rest die within two days."

Rodney stared wildly at him. "Then Radek doesn't stand a chance!" he exclaimed.

_TBC_


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

The others stared at him. "I'll be the judge of that," Carson said.

The physician quickly went over to the medicine cabinet and retrieved a small bottle. John couldn't see what it said on the label, only that the bottle was filled with some kind of clear liquid. "I better give him this," the Scot said.

"What is it?" John asked.

"It's an antidote. I don't know if it'll help, but it won't hurt him either. It's worth a try, and it's the best I can do for Radek for now. When they find out what kind of damage those buggers might have inflicted on him, I might do more."

John nodded. "I'll go down to the biochemistry department and see if they've figured anything out yet. Alert me if there's any change."

He patted Rodney on the back. "You coming?" he said.

The Canadian looked at him as he couldn't understand a word he said. John waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Wh-what?" The scientist looked confused.

John furrowed his brow. "You coming to biochemistry department?" he repeated.

Rodney shook his head as if to wake up. "Yes," he answered. "Yes, I am."

Hurriedly they made their way towards the lab where John had dropped off the _fermin-jaw_ earlier.

***

Minutes later Rodney followed John into one of the labs of the biochemistry department.

"Any progress?" the Colonel asked the blonde, bespectacled woman who was leaning over the bug.

The woman pushed her glasses up her nose and looked up at them. Rodney quickly closed his eyes for a moment. It was a gesture he'd seen Radek make hundreds of times.

"Yes, Colonel. Actually there is," the woman said. Rodney couldn't remember her name, but he knew he'd both seen and talked to her before. Remembering names had never been his strong suit. The first period they'd worked together, he'd called Radek every name starting with a Z he could think of.

"Yes?" Rodney snapped, pushing the thoughts of Radek to the back of his mind. "What have you found?"

He felt the scrutinising look John gave him. "Easy, Rodney," the Colonel said.

Rodney pursed his lips together, without answering. He looked at the woman, waiting for her to tell him how soon Radek would die.

"I've been able to extract a sample of the liquid the bug leaves in its victims when it bites," the woman said. "And it turns out that it actually _is_ a kind of poison."

Rodney sighed. He knew it.

"What sort of poison?" he heard John ask.

"Nothing too dangerous," the woman answered. "I'm sure that he'll be back to normal in a couple of days if he gets the proper care and medicine."

Rodney stared at her. "Wait, what? Are you saying that Radek actually is going to survive?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, Doctor McKay," she said. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"That's great news. Thank you, Doctor," John said. "I'll make sure Doctor Beckett hears of it right away."

The blonde handed him a piece of paper. "You better give him this then. It's my recommended antidote."

Rodney watched John leave for the infirmary in a hurry before he slowly turned around and left the lab.

***

Radek's head was throbbing as he struggled to open his eyes. It took him a few seconds to realise where he was, but he soon understood that he had to be in the infirmary in Atlantis. He was lying in a bed, and he had a cast around his right arm. He leant back on his pillow, and slowly it dawned on him how he had ended up here. Shuddering, he remembered the bugs creeping up his legs and he had to lift up the quilt covering him to see if they were still there.

Suddenly he heard a familiar voice and he put the quilt back in its place. "Hello, Radek. How're you doing?" He would've recognised the accent anywhere.

"Carson?" he said and tried to focus his eyes, but it was difficult without his glasses.

"Aye," the physician said and placed the glasses on Radek's nose. "Teyla found these down the hole. They seem to survive everything, don't they?"

Radek didn't answer. "She saved me," he said instead. "She chased away the bugs."

"The _fermin-jaws_, yes," Carson said.

Radek looked bewildered at him. "_Fermin-jaws_?"

Carson nodded. "That's what the locals called the buggers."

Radek smiled a little. He could certainly imagine why they had given the bugs that particular name. He cleared his dry throat and looked around for something to drink. Carson must've understood, because he handed him a glass of water which had been standing on the table next to his bed. Radek greedily drank from it.

Carson looked pleased at him. "That's good, son. You should drink as much as you can. And it's good that you're remembering what happened. John told me it was a nasty beastie that bit you. Teyla caught one and brought it back."

Radek looked sceptical at the Scot. He imagined the bugs running free on Atlantis.

Carson smiled at him. "Don't worry, lad. It's safely locked up in one of the labs. We had to find out if it's poisonous."

Radek cleared his throat. "Is it?"

"To some extent, yes. But you're safe. Just remember to relax. John said that one of the locals told him that the strong ones survive the bites, and that's probably because many die from dehydration after having been bitten. You'll probably feel nauseous and start to throw up what you drink, and that's why I have placed you on an IV to avoid that you become too dehydrated."

Radek just looked at the Scot. It did not sound pleasant at all.

The Scot carefully patted him on his hand. "Are you feeling any pain?" he asked.

"Yes, in my head."

"I can imagine," the Scot said. "You had quite a fall and you hit your head pretty hard. I'll give you something to make you relax."

The physicist rose from the bed and went over to the medicine cabinet. He quickly returned with a syringe. Radek closed his eyes, glad to be home and dry.

***

Rodney had been sitting in his lab for some hours. He'd tried to work on his new project, but he couldn't seem to concentrate on it. Instead he'd left his lab and gone for a walk. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going, but he'd ended up in front of the door of the infirmary. As he walked inside, he heard the sound of someone throwing up and he saw Carson sitting on Radek's bed, holding a bucket.

"I hate Rodney," he heard Radek said.

Rodney stopped, hiding behind a shelf.

"Now, now," Carson said. "It wasn't his fault that you fell down the hole."

"No, I guess you're right," the Czech answered. "But it was his fault that I had to go."

"Aye," Carson said. "That it was."

Rodney looked around the shelf and made a grimace as he saw Radek throw up while Carson patted him comforting on the back. He decided to make himself known.

"Hi," he said.

The two men looked up at him. "Hello, Rodney," Radek answered.

Rodney thought he seemed a little surprised to him. "You look…" He started, but he didn't know how to finish the sentence. The Czech did certainly not look good. He was bruised and he looked paled and tired. Rodney cleared his throat. "So… How you doing?" It was a stupid question and Rodney knew it.

"Okay, I guess," Radek answered.

Carson got up from the bed. "I'll leave you two alone," he said. "Call me if you need me," he said and looked at Radek. "And remember that you need to rest. That means no work. Not even talking about work." The Scot turned to look at Rodney with a knowing look. Rodney raised his hands in a defensive gesture and looked at Radek. As he didn't know quite what to say, he ran his hand through his hair.

"Did you want something, Rodney?" Radek asked.

"Yes," Rodney said. "Yes! I wanted to talk to you about the defence mechanism on M3P-432."

He saw how Radek's eyes lit up. "It was very fascinating," he smiled.

Rodney shook his head and looked shocked at him. "It was a catapult!"

"Yes, it was a catapult," Radek answered. "But for a community like that, it's quite an achievement to be able to make such a device."

"An achievement?! It's medieval! It's…"

***

John grinned as he opened the door to the infirmary and heard the banter going on in there. It seemed that everything was back to normal on Atlantis.

* * *

**A/N: **Regarding the _fermin-jaws, _Fermin-Jaw is actually a character from a story my friend has written. He was a really evil man.

And, anonymous friend, you wanted whump and you got it. I hope you're happy.


End file.
